Fibromyalgia and Exercise
If you are suffering from chronic pain and discomfort from fibromyalgia the couch may seem like a pretty inviting place. However, living a mostly inactive can actually worsen your condition as well as cause you to experience more pain than you would if you exercised on a regular basis. According to many doctors, exercise is one of the best natural treatments for fibromyalgia and essential to taking back your life.
Before you psych yourself out and come up with excuses why exercise just isn’t worth the effort, you may want to consider the following benefits exercise can bring fibromyalgia patients:
• Stronger muscles
• Stronger bones (with light strength training)
• Improved flexibility
• Improved circulation
• Greater production of endorphins, which results in:
-Less depression and anxiety
-Better quality of sleep
-Pain relief
• Increased production of adrenaline and serotonin both of which have been shown to reduce pain
• Decreased risk of cardiovascular diseases
•Decreased the risk of stroke
• Easier weight loss and weight maintenance, which helps to relieve stress on joints
• Higher levels of energy
• More endurance
Keep in mind though that people with fibromyalgia should avoid vigorous workouts and sports activities that may pose a potential for injury caused by tight muscles and low endurance levels. As an alternative, consider taking part in more gentle forms of exercise, such as Pilates, Tai Chi, yoga, Pilates, walking, swimming and/or biking. When biking, walking or swimming you will want to start off with short distances until you start to build up your endurance and always begin and end every workout with some light stretching. Actually, fibromyalgics should start off each day with some stretching.
It is okay to work out with lightweights but body building is not recommended for people with fibromyalgia. You will want to start with light one to two pound weights, and work your way up from there. In this case, it is better to add additional repetitions rather than weight, as more repetitions will tone you instead of bulking you up. If you find that the weights you are using are too easy, consider adding additional reps before increasing the weight of your dumbbells. If you don’t have dumbbells, water bottles or cans of soup will work just as well.
You may also want to consider the following gear for your workouts:
• Comfortable, non-restrictive clothing
• Yoga or Pilates mat (a Pilates mat is recommended, as it will be thicker and provide more cushioning than a yoga mat)
• Resistance bands
• Ankle weights (even great for wearing as you go about your daily activities)
• Exercise ball
• Pilates “magic circle,” a soft rubber ring created to provide targeted toning
If you are currently suffering from a lot of chronic pain due to fibromyalgia, you will want to start with the simplest of exercise routines: stretching, walking, and light strength training. If all you can do is stretch, that’s okay too, start off with that and work your way up to walking. And always remember, exercise, especially for those with fibromyalgia should never be taken to the point of pain.